The number of births in Korea increased for the first time in nine years last year.
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced on the 3rd that after analyzing the 2024 resident registration population statistics, the number of domestic birth registrations was recorded at 242,334, an increase of 7,295 from the previous year. After eight consecutive years of decline since 2016, it shifted to an increase of 3.1% last year.
Among the total number of birth registrations, there were 123,923 boys and 118,411 girls.
On the other hand, the resident registration population has been decreasing for five consecutive years since 2020. It was 51,217,221 last year, a decrease from 51,325,329 in 2023. By gender, the female population was 25,718,897, which is 220,572 more than the male population of 25,498,324. The female population has continued to widen the gap since surpassing the male population in 2015.
The average age of the resident registration population is 45.3 years, with men averaging 44.2 years and women 46.5 years. The largest proportion of resident registration population by age group is in their 50s at 8,706,370 (17.00%), followed by those in their 60s (15.27%), 40s (15.08%), 70s and above (12.94%), 30s (12.93%), 20s (11.63%), teens (9.02%), and under 10 (6.13%).
Last year, there were population increases in four metropolitan municipalities and 54 basic municipalities compared to the previous year. Among the metropolitan areas, the population increased in Gyeonggi, Incheon, Chungnam, and Sejong in order, while in 13 other areas, the population decreased. In cities, counties, and districts, Hwaseong in Gyeonggi Province showed the most significant increase with 24,479 more people. Additionally, the population increased in Yangju, Seoul's Gangdong District, Paju, and Seoul's Gangnam District.
Kim Min-jae, the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, said that while Korea has experienced five consecutive years of population decline, there are signs of positive change as birth registrations increased for the first time in nine years. Kim noted that there is a need for collaboration among related ministries to improve the childcare environment and continuously prepare various support measures.